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1917 VERSION A silent version made in 1917 starred Jack Pickford as "Pip," the young orphan whose given name was Philip Pirrip. 1946 VERSION Main article: Great Expectations (1946 Film) What many consider the best version, and certainly the most popular, was made in 1946 starring John Mills , Bernard Miles , Finlay Currie , Alec Guinness , Anthony Wager , Jean Simmons , Martita Hunt , Valerie Hobson and Francis L. Sullivan . The movie was adapted by Anthony Havelock-Allan , David Lean , Cecil McGivern , Ronald Neame and Kay Walsh , and directed by Lean. It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White , and was nominated for Best Director , Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay . In 1999 it came 5th in a BFI Poll of British films, while in 2004 '' Total Film '' named it 14th greatest British film of all time. 1989 VERSION A television Miniseries version was issued in 1989. It has only been released in VHS form in the U.S. Jean Simmons , who played the role of the young Estella in the 1946 movie, played Miss Havisham in the 1989 version. Other key roles include John Rhys-Davies as Joe Gargery, Ray McAnally as Jaggers, Anthony Calf as the adult Pip, Kim Thomson as both young and adult Estella, Adam Blackwood as Herbert Pocket, Anthony Hopkins as Abel Magwitch, Niven Boyd as Orlick and Susan Franklyn as Biddy. Having the same actress play Estella as a child and adult provided a smoother transition in following the character than in some adaptations. This version was studied in any argument about the usefulness of the Miniseries format in production of classical works. The format, running five hours, enabled much more of the original story to be filmed than other versions, allowed the restoration of significant characters omitted in other versions, such as Orlick and Wopsle, and the better examination of the roles of other characters, such as Biddy, Drummell, Miss Havisham and the adult Estella. The result is more understandable plot development, and the revelation of themes of the work that tend to be obscured in shorter versions, such as Class striving and the values of character vs. wealth, in favour of Pip's pursuit of Estella. 1998 VERSION This adaptation of Great Expectations starred Ethan Hawke in the Pip role and Gwyneth Paltrow as Estella . Though graced with well-known and respected Actor s, including, in addition to Hawke and Paltrow, Anne Bancroft in the Miss Havisham role and Robert De Niro in the Magwitch role, the movie received generally poor reviews. This version attempts a modernization of the plot in similar spirit to Hawke's later Hamlet , and is set in modern Florida and New York City . Virtually all the major characters except Estella are renamed; ''Pip'' ("Philip Pirip") is now ''Finn'' ("Finnegan Bell"). The story line has Finn as a young Fisherman in a mostly Dysfunctional family who is otherwise happy with Uncle Joe as his guardian and mentor. Young Finn likes to paint and is also companion to the flamboyant and eccentric Ms. Nora Dinsmoor and falls in love with her pretty young ward, Estella, who represents the opposite of his honest but Plebian prospects. His "great expectation" is to be unexpectedly introduced and sponsored in the Trendy New York gallery art scene in SoHo . The story traces most of the essential plot of the Novel , though with major reworking of virtually every situation and plot turn. As with most other filmed versions of the story, Finn's (''Pip's'') pursuit of Estella overrides all other themes. Some critics thought that it stayed too close to the romantic plot and dragged on weakly although the visuals were often remarked to be beautiful. This version has been more popular with Fans of the key actors. 1999 VERSION This adaptation, aired on Masterpiece Theater , starred Ioan Gruffudd as Pip, Justine Waddell as Estella, and Charlotte Rampling as Miss Havisham. In the UK, it won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Costume Design; the RTS Television Award for Best Sound in Drama, Best Production Design in Drama, Best Lighting, and Photography & Camera. SEE ALSO
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